Why did people drink watered wine?
The Ancient Greeks and Romans likely watered down their wine, or more accurately added wine to their water, as a way of purifying (or hiding the foul taste) from their urban water sources.
Is Greece known for red or white wine?
Southern Greece
For the most part, you’ll find an abundance of delightful aromatic white wines here along with one ringer, Agiorgitiko, which is Greece’s other top, and most-planted red variety. Agiorgitiko (Ah-your-yeek-tee-ko) is well known from Nemea, a region in Peloponnese which is most famous for this grape.
What is a good Greek red wine?
We run down the top five Greek wines to be drinking right now:
- LIMNIONA FROM THESSALY.
- SANTORINI ASSYRTIKO. …
- NAOUSSA XINOMAVRO. …
- NEMEA AGIORGITIKO. An indigenous Greek version of Bordeaux Cabernet Sauvignon. …
- PELOPONNESE MOSCHOFILERO. If you like good-quality Pinot Grigio, this local Greek grape’s for you. …
What Greek wine is like Pinot Grigio?
If you like pinot grigio, you’ll like albariño.
Most pinot grigio has been over-cropped so that all those characteristics are washed away and what’s left is a liquid a wee tastier than Evian. Other alternatives: Greek assyrtiko; Basque txakoli; Italian arneis, falanghina or fiano di Avellino.
Why did Romans drink so much wine?
The Romans didn’t know about fermentation, but they understood the cleansing properties of wine. Ancient Roman water wasn’t exactly spotless, so wine was added as a purifying element. … Pliny the Elder even recommended using salt water with wine, which was also the Ancient Greek way of drinking it.
Can you drink watered down wine?
There’s nothing wrong with drinking water alongside your glass of wine. But mixing them means that you’re diluting the wine’s quality. You’re no longer drinking the wine as the maker intended you to.
Is wine safer than water?
McGovern says the antioxidants found in the additives and alcohol killed harmful microorganisms, so wine was much safer than raw, unfiltered water.